On August 14th, 1945, it was announced that Japan had agreed to surrender. I recently visited the Japanese Garden at Como Park in St. Paul and was impressed by its serenity and beauty and found it difficult to believe that so much blood was shed and so much sorrow endured because of this terrible conflict. Above is one of the lanterns in the garden, and I prefer to think of this image rather than any of the others of the war. It is a peaceful oasis, and I am so happy that our nations are now friends.
pretty monument...i love japanese gardens, they are so very peaceful!
ReplyDeleteamen to all of that. so much tragedy on both sides.
ReplyDeleteThere is a lantern similar to this one in our Japanese Garden.
ReplyDeleteIt is a peaceful, serene looking place. I wish we could put all conflicts to rest. I am sure this day, so long ago was a huge relief....Janey
ReplyDeleteIt's good to remember that peace is to be cherished.
ReplyDeleteJapanese gardens are full of quiet beauty as can be seen in this picture.
ReplyDeleteToo bad it wasn't the END of war... Appealing piece.
ReplyDeletePeace.
ReplyDeleteIt truly is hard to believe that Japan was once our enemy. I fear the fate of nations has a lot to do with the ambitions of its leaders.
ReplyDeleteWhat we still haven't learned as a human race is that ultimately, no one wins in a war; war devastates all concerned. This does not look like what I think of as a lantern; it is a unique and very beautiful piece. Does it light up at night?
ReplyDeleteShalom Kate. I'm glad someone still remembers August 14. I was born that night. My mother said the doctors in the hospital in Chicago were drunk from celebrating the end of the war.
ReplyDeleteKate, thanks for stopping by my blog and commenting!
ReplyDeleteIt's ironic that my Dad, who served in the Naval Engineering Brigade, used to say, "You know, I'll bet if I sat down with the Japanese equivalent of a Chief Petty Officer, we'd probably have a lot to talk about, and a lot of the same complaints. War stinks, and we get talked into it over and over."
Pretty elevated thinking for a member of the Greatest Generation. He really took Eisenhower's "military/industrial complex" speech to heart and thought that war was all about profit. I feel the same way. All the American companies did big business with Hitler for years before Germany became "the enemy," is a good example.
Thanks for this, and sorry to rant!! Amy
Looks like a serene sanctuary. My father was in WWII and he was certainly happy when it was over,
ReplyDeleteAnn
Peace is certainly preferable to the massive and horrendous bloodshed of any war.
ReplyDeleteLeslie
abcw team
I prefer the peacefulness of it all.
ReplyDeleteWar, any war is sheer hell. People are sacrificed for nothing. Let us pray that this will never happen again, and that there will soon peace in the middle east.
ReplyDeleteThanks for your excellent post.
Wil, ABCW Team
I love Japanese gardens and lanterns and bridges.
ReplyDeleteI'm (still) reading "Team of Rivals" and about the rivers of blood shed in the Civil War. There always seems to be a reason for war but I certainly wouldn't mind if we had better ones in my lifetime.